Opera-chair.



A. WANNBR, Jn. A OPERA CHAIR. Prmonron rILnD rms. 21,1910.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

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A. WANNER, Jn.`

OPERA CHAIR. APPLICATION FILED FEB.21, 1910.

mennen` Jan. 10, 1911.

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OPERA-CHAIR.

Speclcation of Letters Patent.

Patented Jail. 1o, 1911.

Application filed February 21, 1910. Serial No. 544,960.

To all whom 'ii may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT WANNER, J r., a citizen of the UnitedStates,'residing in Hoboken, Hudson county, and State of New Jersey,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Opera-Chairs; and4I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

My object in and by the present invention is to improve chairs of thetype employed in auditoriums and other public places principally inrespect 4to reducing the cost of manufacture thereof while retainingthem neat, attract-ive and substantial in appearance, and in otherrespects, for instance, that, while they may be light in constructionand therefore readily portable, they will be strong and durable; thatthey may be adapted to occupy as little space as possible when not inuse (their seats being then folded or swung into flatwise relation withthe backs), affording free access to any chair in a row in passingbetween rows; that a row of the chairs may be vreadily adapted todifferent curvatures accordinfy to a predetermined seating plan; that di'erent styles of backs may be utilized without materially altering theother parts of the chairs to adapt them to them; that the individualwidth of the chairs may be varied, etc.

In an application filed of even date herewith I have described andclaimed a chair comprising, with a back and back-leg structure andstandards disposed forward thereof, a substantially U-shaped memberhaving its end-portions projecting substantially forwardly and rigidlyconnecting the said standards and back and back-leg structure.

One salient feature of this invention consists in supporting a pivotallymounted seat when in the seating position by means of the forwardlyprojecting end-portions of the said member, preferably through themedium of a bar or the like traversing the said end-portions? Anotherconsists in a novel means for pivotally mounting the seat. Still anotherconsists in a novel means cooperating with saidniember in connectingtogether the standards and the back and back-leg structure, such meanspreferably affording arms for the chair and permitting changes in thetransverse dimension of the chair and also serving in the formation of aunitary structure, comprising two or more chairs,'which if need be maybe adjusted to suit diiferent row curvatures.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention has been shown in connectionwith a group of two chairs forming a unitary structure, Figure l being a`perspective view;

Fig. 2 a horizontal sectional view taken in a plane above the seats;Fig. 3 a vertical sectional view, the seat being shown raised in fulllines and partly lowered in dot-anddash out-line; Fig. 4 a similar view,the seat being shown lowered in full lines and partly lowered indot-and-dash out-line; Fig. 5 a front elevation of the pivotal mountingfor the seat; Fig. 6 a vertical sectional view of said mounting; and,Fig. 7 is a sectional View on line -m of Fig. l.

In the drawings, a designates the back and back-leg structures, b theseats, and o standards disposed forward of the said structures and eachextending above the seating plane of the seat; the yleg-portions of saidstructures and standards diverge downwardly to impart the desiredstability to the frames of the chairs and may or may not be at@ tachedto the floor. It will be understood that different styles of back andback-leg structures may be employed.

The back and back-leg structure of each chair is rigidly connected withthe corresponding standards in approximately the seating plane by meanssimilar ,to that set forth in my co-pending application above referredto, the same being herein a substantially U-shaped member cl having itsends projecting forwardly, its rear portion being secured to the backand back-leg structure and its ends to the respective standards byscrews e or the like. On the ends of this member rests a transversesupport f which lends rigidity to the frame and serves to support theseat in its depressed position; this support, which may be a wooden bar,may be attached to the member l by screws g. As will hereinafter appear,the back portion of said member serves as a support to sustain a certainlink-connection whereby the seat is pivotally supported when in the idleor folded position.

To aord arms for the chairs, an inverted L-shaped member is attached byone leg i thereof (secured by screws or the like j) to the back andback-leg structure, the other leg 7c projecting. forwardly, saidforwardly projecting leg and the standard being surmounted by thearm-proper Z into which the standard may be doweled and which may besecured to said member by screws m. This construction lends stabilityand strength to the chair as a whole and affords a substantial and rigidbrace as between the back and back-leg structure and each standard. Theinner faces of the legs z' of members-7L being rounded (Fig. 7) allowsthe positions of said members on their legs z' as axes to be changed tovary the width of the chair.

lVhere the chairs are used two or more in a group, as shown in thedrawings, a single standard is preferably used' bet-Ween each twochairs, the bar-.7c is made long enough to traverse the end-portions ofthe members CZ, and a single arm-proper serves for two adjoining chairs,their two L-shaped members being attached to the common armproper. Therow-curvature of the group may be varied according to the relativepositions of the legs L" of members rwith respect to the commonarm-proper.

The seat is supported as follows:'A strap a is attached by screws o tothe under side of the seat at the back thereof, extending transversely;its ends are upturned. A link connection between this strap and the backand back-leg support is afforded by the links p which are pivoted at g(by rivets or the like) to the ends of the strap and at r (by screws orthe like) to the back and back-leg support. The disposition of thepivotal points g and r is such that when the seat is in the seatingposition, resting on the bar f, the links stand substantially verticallyand when the seat is in its elevated position they rest on the supportafforded by the backportion of member (Z. In the seating position, theseat may be prevented from a tendency toward backward planiform movementboth by the projection s (formed by the front wall of a notch t which isprovided in the under side of the seat at each side thereof) abuttingagainst the'bar f and by the seatengaging the back, or by either ofthese expedients; the seat is kept from forward movement by theprojection s (at the back of each notch) engaging the bacli of bar Uponraising the seat the links stand with relation thereto at firstsubstantially as they appear in Fig. t. "When the seat impinges againstthe back the pivotally connected seat and links buckle, the linksswinging forward and downward until they come to rest on theback-portion of member f; this allows the seat to assume a flatwiserelation with the back of the chair. In depressing the seat, it firstmoves pivotally around the points g until it engages the bar f; uponpressing downwardly upon the forward portion of the seat a rel versebuckling as between it and the links .will follow until the notches inthe seat coincide with bar 7', whereupon further backward planiformmovement of the seatA Having thus fully described my invenfi tion, whatI claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Thecombination, with a. frame having a forward seat-supporting means, of aseat pivotally movable around an axis back of said -supporting meansupwardly out of, and downwardly into, supported relation to saidsupporting means, and a link connection pivoted to the frame on saidaxis and also to the seat on an axis parallel with the first axis, saidlink connection normally standing substantially upright when the seat isin the supported relation to the supporting means and being pivotallymovable forwardly when the seat is raised, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a frame having a forward seat-supporting means,of a seatpivotally movable around an axis back of said supporting meansupwardly out of, and downwardly into, supported relation to saidsupporting' means, and a link connection pivoted to the frame on saidaxis and also to the seat on an axis parallel with the first axis, saidlink connection normally standing substantially uprightwhen the seat isin the supported relation to the supporting means and being pivotallymovable forwardly when the seat is raised, said supporting means andseat interlocking with eachother to prevent planiform movement of theseat, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a frame having a forward seat-supporting means,of a seat pivotally movable around an axis back of said supporting meansupwardly out of, and downwardly into, supported relation to saidsupporting means, a link connection pivoted to the frame on said axisand also to the seat onan axis parallel with the first axis, said linkconnection normally standing substantially upright when the seat is inthe supported relation to the supporting mea-ns and being pivotallymovable forwardly when the seat is raised, and means, engageable by thelink connection, for limiting its forward pivotal movement,substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a frame, of a seat and a link connectionconnecting the seat with the frame and pivotally movable with respect toboth on horizontal axes, said frame having means for supporting the seatwhen the latter is in its depressed position and also means, engageableby the connecsaid connection, substantially as described. '5. Thecombination, With a frame, of a seat and a link connection connectingthe seat with the frame and pivotally movable with respect to both onhorizontal axes, said frame having means for supporting the seat whenthe latter is in its depressed positionV and also means, engageable bythe connection, for limiting the forward pivotal movement of y saidconnection, substantially as described.

G. The combination, with a frame having supports arranged one in advanceof the other, a seat adapted to rest on the forward support when in itsdepressed position, and a link connection connecting the rea-r portionof the seat with the frame and pivotally movable with respect to both onhori aontal axes, the rear support being disposed within the range ofmovement of said connection on its axis of movement in the frame inthe:forward direction, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with a frame, of a seat and a link connectionconnecting the rear portion of the seat With the frame and pivotallymovable with respect to both on horizontal axes, said frame havingmeans, com prising a substantially U-shaped member having its endsprojecting substantially forward, for supporting` the seat whendepressed and supporting said connection when the seat is raised,substantially as described.

8. rl`he combination, with a frame having a forward seat-supportingmeans, of a seat pivotally movable around an axis back of saidsupporting means upwardly out of, and downwardly into, supportedrelation to said supporting means. a strap attached to said seat nearthe back thereof and having its ends upturned, and links pivoted to theframe on said axis and also to the upturned ends of .said strap, saidlinks normally standing substantiallyY upright when the seat is in thesupported relation to the suption, for limiting the pivotal movement ofporting means and being pivotally movable forwardly When the seatisraised, substantially as'described.

9. The combination, With the back and back-leg structure, the seat andstandards arranged forward of said structure and pro jecting above theseating plane, of means for rigidly connecting said structure with eachstandard comprising substantially Lshaped members each having onel legthereof projecting forward and the other formed with a cross-sectionallyround face secured against a vertical face of saidstructure,substantially as described.

l0. The combination, with the back and back-leg structure, the seat andstandards arranged forward of said structure and projecting above theseating plane, of substantially L-shaped members each having one legthereof attached to said structure and the other projecting forwardlyand an arm rigidly connecting each standard with the forwardlyprojecting leg of said member, substantially as described.

l1. I he combination, with back and backleg structures arranged side byside, seats, and standards disposed forward of said structures and alsoarranged side by side, of substantially U-shaped members having theirend-portions projecting forwardly and connecting said structures withthe standards, the adjoining end-portions of adjoining members beingattached to a common standard, and substantially Lsshaped membersrigidly connecting the back and backleg structures With the standardsabove the first member", each tivo adjoining L-shaped members beingconnected to a common standard, substantially as described.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand,this 18th day of February, 1910.

ALBERT VANNER, JR.

lVitnesses CHAs. E. VALTER, lVM. H. KUNTZ.

